(CNN) - Oregon State University canned men's basketball coach Craig Robinson, the brother of first lady Michelle Obama, on Monday, saying in a statement that the decision is in the best interests of the school.

A national search for a new coach has begun, Athletic Director Bob De Carolis said.

Washington (CNN) – Vice President Joe Biden will headline a fundraiser for the South Carolina Democratic Party on Friday, a source familiar with the event told CNN.

Biden, who has kept his name in the 2016 mix even as Hillary Clinton consumes much of the presidential oxygen, will be in the early primary state to deliver the University of South Carolina commencement address on May 9.

(CNN) - The Supreme Court gave limited approval on Monday to public prayers at a New York town's board meetings, citing the country's history of religious acknowledgment in the legislature.

The 5-4 ruling came in yet another contentious case over the intersection of faith and the civic arena. It was confined to the specific circumstances and offered little guidance on how other communities should offer civic prayers without violating the Constitution.

The Obama drag: Republicans have a great advantage heading into the 2014 midterm elections, according to another poll. But this poll, conducted by the PEW Research Center and USA Today, suggests their advantage could be starker than it was even in 2010, when Republicans took control of the House of Representatives.

In a generic question about whether a voter supports the Democrat or the Republican in their own district, Republicans got 47% and Democrats got 43%. That’s a switch from October, when Democrats held an advantage in a PEW poll.

More troubling, perhaps, for Democrats is that President Obama is not a draw for their voters. Just 31% of Democrats think of their vote as “for” the President. Four years ago, 47% of Democrats felt that way.

Numbers like these could have implications for Democrats in 2014, for sure. But they could also influence how Democrats run for president. Sixty-five percent of the people in the poll said they hope the next president has policies that are not similar to Obama’s.

In North Carolina, Republicans are watching closely to see if Thom Tillis, the state House speaker and maybe the party's best bet to unseat endangered Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan this November, can capture 40% of the vote in Tuesday's GOP Senate primary.

Washington (CNN) - With six months to go until November's midterm elections, new national polling suggests that Republicans have the edge over Democrats in the battle for Congress.

A USA Today/Pew Research Center survey indicates that the GOP's advantage is due in part to an uneven economic recovery, an unpopular national health care law, and President Barack Obama's lackluster standing among Americans.